About breakfast at work

[WishingILivedOnAnIsland]

Every day without fail one of our senior administrators comes in on time, gets herself settled, then spends 10 minutes in the kitchen constructing a complicated bowlful of breakfast. She takes the bowl to her desk and slowly eats in the open plan office until around 9:30am. She then signals the start of her work day by returning her bowl to the kitchen. Anyone who approaches her regarding work prior to The Bowl’s Return is met with a withering look and an ‘excuse me I am eating my breakfast’ as though they’ve walked into her own kitchen out of hours and demanded a favour.

I’m her manager and I’m starting to get complaints. Both about her commandeering an additional 30 odd minutes break, and also about the tart rebuke she gives anyone who dares interrupt her morning ritual.

Here’s the thing- I don’t really care that she does this as in every other way she is a sensational employee. She is a proud set-in-her-ways kind of person and wont respond well to negative feedback. It would be a disaster if she quit and we had to replace her with a mediocre employee whose only advantage is that they eat their breakfast at home.

So AIBU to let this breakfast nonsense play on? My colleagues seem to think so and are salty with me for my inaction thus far.

And what if none of them smoke (no smokers or vapers where I am)?

Well you see the bit where I said I would be interested to know....?

And if they’re not they I still think they’re petty clock watchers. Having worked with people like that I know who I would rather employ.

Can you not be super honest with her?

"I love your work, I love your effort and youre a fantastic member of the team who I value very very highly.
Unfortunately, I've received numerous complaints about your morning routine.
I have no issue with you taking breakfast at your desk, as you have shown time and time again that you are able to manage your workload effectively and do above and beyond daily, however some colleagues are struggling to see past it, and have made comments about not being able to communicate with you during the first half an hour of the day.
I want to figure out a way of ensuring you have your flexibility and autonomy in the office whilst also diffusing the misconception that you are not working during that half an hour - do you have any suggestions on how we can combat this?"

Done.

You've made it clear you value her and that the company does not want to reduce her freedoms and flexibility, whilst also acknowledged a wider impact on the team, without singling out any staff members. You've presented a united front and invited her to work with you to find a solution.

I think I'll get an office job, it sounds acceptable to start 30 mins after others if you have a crap manager.
Oh, for a crap manager Are you all women skiving the start of the day, then?
No wonder we aren't taken seriously in the work place.

think I'll get an office job, it sounds acceptable to start 30 mins after others if you have a crap manager.

Only if your the managers favourite though!

Do other people take smoking breaks? Or longer lunch breaks? Or personal emails and online shopping? Sneak out early? Does she stay late or have shorter lunch breaks? Those are then things you need to access!x

A crap manager would not be going to the lengths the OP is going to find a solution that is viable for everybody.

People are fucking nasty on here

Having run management training sessions (and been a manager) I can tell you the one way to drive a huge wedge between one member of staff and the rest is to use the line 'I don't have a problem but a few others have been complaining'.

If you are a manager, manage! Either tell the others to butt out or tell the woman who is getting an extra 30 minutes paid time to herself every day to get with it and do some work. It's not rocket science and it's what a manager is paid for.

What @ReasonablyIntelligent said....

When I was a manager and things like this used to be brought up I tried to avoid using the word 'feedback' as a lot of people associate this with a formal process and it can be quite negative. I used to say things like, someone mentioned in passing...a small observation has been made...etc.

You sound like a great manager who takes time to identify the positives of your team. Not many managers do this, and regardless of what people say retention of good staff is super important. The option that she doesn't eat at her desk (which can resolve the grumpy when people approach issue) may be a solution.

Either way you have to approach it in some way, better for her to hear it from you than someone else.

Reasonably But she wasn't going to find a solution. She was asking if she was unreasonable not to do anything about it. She is now going to talk to her about her rudeness (which a good manager should have done long before now, even if she was fine with the working breakfast)

Tell her that her colleagues expect that if she's sat at her desk during working hours, then she's available to work. If she needs time to eat breakfast first can she come in a bit earlier? Because otherwise the rest of the team can't start their day at 9 as they're waiting on her for some items

The best to tackle this is to issue a note reminding ALL your staff about your expectations regarding work time i.e. they should be available to work starting at 9 am (or whatever it is), lunch is an hour and finish time is 5 pm, etc. That way, you keep it general and not personal. I had to do this when a member of my team kept leaving early. It worked.

Are you all women skiving the start of the day, then?
No wonder we aren't taken seriously in the work place

No, I’m the Director of two businesses....I don’t need to work full-time hence I can MN to my heart’s content or take a 4 hour breakfast if I so choose

Forget the breakfast aspect, just tell her to continue to do her job whilst eating because her behaviour is upsetting her colleagues.

If she's a team player as you have described, she will be embarrassed and realise she's gone too far.

Also, no one is irreplaceable. If she leaves, I've no doubt someone else would step up and flourish just as she has.

Step up and be a manager - upset one person or continue with a whole team disgruntled directly at you for not dealing with a a very valid issue???

Crap managers are the ones who are inflexible clock watchers who treat their teams like small children. OP is an excellent manager.

And good managers deal with issues that affect team morale.

Sorry, but why does it have to be an either/or? I expect excellent performance from my team without having to allow for them being piss takers and affecting other colleagues' productivity by making them wait 30 minutes every day before they'll deign to answer queries. If she's so petty that she stops being an excellent performer after her piss taking is pointed out to her, then she wasn't that excellent in the first place since professional behaviour is a part of being an outstanding employee, and you would manage the drop off in her performance accordingly. And if she is being rude to people who ask her questions during her normal working hours then she already isn't excellent in my book.

(And that doesn't mean never making allowances; of course good management is about give and take but this is 2.5 hours of one person taking every single week that the rest of the team is not getting.)

I'd have an informal chat with her and say "I've noticed the breakfast thing is getting a bit out of hand Ethel, can you rein it back in please so that colleagues who need you to be available during that first half hour are able to approach you and get the answers they need when they need them. A muesli bar and a banana or similar eaten while you work is absolutely fine, but it's gone beyond that now. Alternatively if you need a fuller breakfast then I'm happy for you to come in earlier so that it's done and dusted by the time other teams are likely to need our input."

The best to tackle this is to issue a note reminding ALL your staff about your expectations regarding work time i.e. they should be available to work starting at 9 am (or whatever it is), lunch is an hour and finish time is 5 pm, etc. That way, you keep it general and not personal.

This is a terrible way to deal with it and really poor management. All that does is get the backs up of the people who are already adhering to the policy, and sends a message to the one who isn't that you're too weak to raise it with them directly.

If you have an issue with one person, you raise it with that person.

It's s difficult one, because on the one hand, she's efficient and productive and getting her job done, but on the other hand, you have to take the complaints from other team members into consideration.

Do people generally work their hours and go home on the dot? If there is overtime is it paid or unpaid? Do the people who have complained take breaks themselves, for personal internet use, smoking, personal appointments, tea & coffee breaks?

I prefer your style of management and that's how I am as a manager. I think you get more out of people if you treat them as colleagues and as adults, as opposed to subordinates.

It would be a disaster if she quit and we had to replace her with a mediocre employee whose only advantage is that they eat their breakfast at home

But you wouldn't replace her with someone mediocre - you'd find someone really good. Wouldn't you ?.

Thing is, you’re getting complaints and as the manager it’s your job to address them.

No matter how good this woman is at her job, she’s not indispensable. I’d question how good she really is anyway if other members of the team are making complaints.
She sounds very set in her ways - ‘my way or the highway’ type.
I’ve come across these before, and they may be brilliant at the job in all sorts of ways, great attendance record etc BUT the bottom line is, she’s making her own decision about when she’s prepared to start working (ie half an hour later than she should) and is not prepared for other workers to interact with her about work stuff as she sees this breakfast as ‘her’ time.
She’s taking the piss

OP is an excellent manager to the woman who has now carved herself out a little - 30 minute - breakfast routine. That started with grabbing a breakfast bar and has elongated to a full half an hour (which most of us don't even get at home!)

So next step, what? Another 5 minutes whilst she does the crossword?

It's not about the clock watching, it's about the fact that she is supposed to be working from 9am. If that work means answering queries or providing information and the woman is sending people away with 'I'm eating my breakfast' she needs to be told to stop. Either eat earlier or eat whilst you work.

There is a possibility that this little paragon is actually taking up the slack for people who can't get on with their jobs because she has her feet up sipping her cuppa and munching her cornflakes.

She may be good at her job but she is not supporting the team. Imagine if the CEO rang and needed some information and the person taking the call has to say 'I can't get the information for you for you at the moment' (because x is having her breakfast and deigns it rude for us to dare to ask her to actually do what she's paid to do at that point). Imagine handling that situation and you'll see why she's running her manager in circles.

Of course there needs to be flexibility. Of course everyone has to have time to do the personal stuff that can only be done in office hours (like contacting a school or GP). But having your breakfast? Really?

Bugger that, if I worked with her I'd be off and put all of it down in the exit interview notes.

Thing is, you’re getting complaints and as the manager it’s your job to address them

It might very much backfire on those that are complaining though...

Ugh, I hate managing people for exactly these problems OP so I don't envy you and not do I have any advice! I haven't read all the comments so.might be repeating bit one thing I would be wary of is what constitutes breakfast - she is taking the Mick but you don't want to end up in a situation of having to dictate what can be eaten at desks and what can't! I would suggest that she can continue to eat breakfast but as it's works time she should be available for actual work ! Good luck x

Today 14:14 JacquesHammer

Thing is, you’re getting complaints and as the manager it’s your job to address them

It might very much backfire on those that are complaining though...

Why?

@TheTitOfTheIceberg - exactly. Take ownership of the problem, deal with it and move on.